Finding aid for the Euclid Avenue Congregational Church Records, Series II

History of Euclid Avenue Congregational Church

Euclid Avenue Congregational Church in Cleveland, Ohio, was the outgrowth of a Sunday School begun in 1828 by Sally Cozad Mather Hale. Concerned about the lack of religious instruction in her neighborhood, Mrs. Hale took a group of children into her home on Euclid Avenue for lessons. As the number of children increased, the school was moved to larger quarters, until 1830 when it ceased operation. Around 1840 the school was revived and continued to exist as the Sunday School of Euclid Avenue Congregational Church.

On November 30, 1843, nineteen people associated with the Sunday School met and resolved to form a church. In spite of the fact that all but one of the charter members were Congregationalists, the group decided to adopt, with some changes, the Presbyterian form of church government. The occurred because the only non-Congregationalist, a woman very devoted to the new enterprise, but who "felt that she could not belong to any other than a Presbyterian church," was allowed to have her way, and for the first ten years of its existence the church was known as the Presbyterian Church of East Cleveland. This was not to last, however, for in 1853 the trustees voted to adopt a Congregational form of government. In 1854 the church passed a series of resolutions regarding ecclesiastical affairs and church government. Since that time, the church has been strictly Congregational in its organization, and soon after leaving the presbytery became associated with the Cleveland Congregational Conference.

The church began its existence on Euclid Road between Republic and Doan Streets, which originally was the site of the Sunday School. The need for larger facilities soon became apparent as membership increased. Thus in 1846 work was begun on a new church, located at Euclid Avenue and Doan Street and was dedicated in 1849. Even this was not large enough for the growing congregation, making it necessary for still another church to be built. The site chosen was at Euclid and Logan Avenues. Work was begun in the spring of 1866 and completed in January 1867. The old church site was retained until 1905, at which time it was sold to the Cleveland Trust Company.

Around 1886 church members began to discuss the possibility of starting a mission church on Hough Avenue. Initially, the project received little support, but by 1888 there was enough interest to conduct a house-to-house canvas of the area. As a result of this survey it was decided that a need for religious instruction existed, and a Sunday School was established that same year under the auspices and support of the Euclid Avenue Congregational Church.

On February 11, 1890, the congregation was officially recognized as the Hough Avenue Branch of the Euclid Avenue Congregational Church. Ground was broken in June of 1890 for the building of a chapel, which was completed in November 1890. On March 18, 1891, the Hough Avenue Branch became recognized as an independent body, taking the name Hough Avenue Congregational Church.

In 1900 a new church was built by the Hough congregation on Hough Avenue near East 82nd Street. This new church was severely damaged by fire in 1916, Further damage and loss occurred in 1917 when the church, while still under construction, was hit by a tornado. The reconstruction was finally completed in 1919.

Due to wartime inflation, the cost of the reconstruction was much higher than anticipated, leaving the Hough church with a tremendous amount of debt. A bond issue in 1919 temporarily alleviated the problem until rising costs and the Great Depression caused the church to face even more serious financial problems which eventually led to the demise of the church. On February 15, 1934, Hough Avenue Congregational Church voted to merge with Euclid Avenue Congregational Church, and the first combined services were held on March 1, 1934.

Euclid Avenue Congregational Church sponsored numerous organizations, such as a Women's Foreign Missionary Society, begun in 1872, which maintained missionaries in other countries for many years. Another group, the Ladies Home Missionary Society, was organized in 1873 to provide "relief to the poor amongst us." In addition, the church sponsored social organizations for groups of all ages.

In March 2010, the Euclid Avenue Congregational Church building was struck by lightening and was completed destroyed by fire.

click here to view the Encyclopedia of Cleveland History entry for Euclid Avenue Congregational Church

Scope and Content

Euclid Avenue Congregational Church Records, Series II, 1949-1965 consists of the executive board minutes and business meeting minutes of the Women's Association.

This collection extends the run of Women's Association minutes (1897-1937) that are contained in MS 3577 Euclid Avenue Congregational Church Records.

Statement of Arrangement

Restrictions on Access

None.

The researcher should consult MS 3577 Euclid Avenue Congregational Church Records; MS 5046 Euclid Avenue Congregational Church Records, Series III; and PG 94 Euclid Avenue Congregational Church Photographs.

Indexing Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.

Subjects:

Preferred Citation

[Container ___, Folder ___ ] MS 4615 Euclid Avenue Congregational Church Records, Series II, Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, Ohio

Acquisition Information

Euclid Avenue Congregational Church Women's Association, 1986

Processing Information

Processed by Rebecca M. Johnson in 1992